John thomas sustaiee



(No Model.)

J. ,T. SUSTAIRE.

OAR COUPLING. No. 313,455. Patented Mar. 3, 1885.

WITNESSES INVENTOR V4 L/D g BY M V ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN THOMAS SUSTAIRE, OF MATTHEWS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES E. BLACK, OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,455, dated March 3, 1885. Application filed December 9, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN T. SUsTAI-RE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Matthews, in the county of Mecklenburg and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings,of which the following is a description.

This invention relates to that class of carcouplings which are intended to operate automatically; and its object is to so hold a removable link onthe draw-bar of one car that it shall engage the draw-bar of an approaching car without attention, and yet to provide means whereby an attendant may guide the link with his hand in case it becomes necessary to couple with a car having a common draw-bar.

.To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts forming a car-coupling, hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of one drawhead and link and a longitudinal vertical section of another draw-head opposing it, showing my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the draw -head and link, and Fig. 3 is an end View of the link.

A represents the draw-head, which may be shaped at its rear end to be attached to a car, as usual. At its forward end it is slanted to cause the end of an approaching link, B, to slide over into a vertical notch, C. At its bottom this notch is elongated, both fore and aft, permitting the link to pass to the rear of the vertical portion of the notch when pushed by the cars, and to pass forward when drawn upon, so that in any position consequent to natural service the link will be held as though the draw-bar were a hook. The extreme forward end of the draw-bar is provided with lateral projections D, forming a horizontal T- head, wider than the link, so that the body of the link may rest thereon to be guided upon an approaching draw-bar.

E is a spring located in the lower side of the rear portion of the notch, .over which spring the link is pressed when pushed far back, the spring holding the link from being jarred out of place. This spring is more particularly useful in retaining a link when set on a moving car.

F represents cheek-pieces, either cast as a part of or secured to the sides of the draw-bar, and extending far enough forward to bear upon the sides of the link when the latter is far back in the notch and retain it in line to properly meet another draw-bar, but not extending so far forward as to interfere with sidewi'se motion of the link when it is drawn into the forward part of the notch.

' G represents an upward-curved cross portion or yoke at the middle of the link, serving as a handle,whereon the attendant may safely place his hand for the purpose of guiding the link into an old-style draw-bar, for so long as his hand is on this yoke it is up out of line of collision of the draw-bars.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a car-coupling, the combination of an open loopshaped link and a draw-head combining the following elements in one and the same piece: the top portion of the forward end thereof being of a width to enter the said loop as a hook and slanted forward on top, projections beside and at the base of said slanting portion, giving the draw-head a T shape, and a notch in the top side at the rear of the slanting portion and above the level of the side projections, the said notch having a vertical and a horizontal portion, the vertical portion being the mouth thereof, and the horizontal portion extending to the rear of the said mouth beneath the solid stock of the drawhead, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN THOMAS SUSTAIRE.

Witnesses:

A. W. REID, M. E. GRowELL. 

